Tag Archives: BMI

Most people know Mike Wolfe as a History Channel reality star on American Pickers, a show that chronicles Wolfe’s escapades hunting down antique treasures on the back roads of America. Now, after buying a home in the area and opening a store Antique Archeology in Nashville, he’s adding another line to his resume — songwriter.

Songwriter Linda Dyer introduced Wolfe to producer Brian Ahern and Ahern thought up the project “Music to Pick By.” Wolfe mentioned he was a fan of Dale Watson and Ahern brought the two together for a writing session and four hours later the pair had written three songs. Wolfe has since signed with BMI.

American Pickers airs 8 p.m. Mondays on the History Channel. Antique Archaeology is at 1300 Clinton Street suite 130 in Nashville.

Easton Corbin celebrated the chart-topping success of his first two singles “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It” with a lunchtime gathering at BMI on Wednesday hosted by his record label Mercury Nashville and BMI.

Corbin is the first solo male country artist in 17 years to land his first two singles at No. 1.

“I am honored and very humbled by all of this,” Corbin says. “The success I have had is truly a blessing, and I thank God for everything. I want to thank country radio, all the fans, and the industry for all the support I have received.”

During the party, which was attended by industry executives and a handful of songwriters including Don Poythress, Carson Chamberlain, and Wynn Varble, Corbin accepted a commemorative plaque from his label and performed the hits along with his latest radio single “I Can’t Love You Back.”

Country singer Billy Currington came to Nashville as a high schooler to audition for a coveted performance spot at Opryland theme park. He didn’t get the gig, but he didn’t give up, either.

The famed theme park is no longer around, but Currington's career is showing plenty of staying power: On Tuesday, he celebrated his 7th No. 1 hit, "Let Me Down Easy," with friends, colleagues and family during a special celebration at BMI's Nashville offices.

Written by Marty Dodson, Jennifer Hanson and Mark Nesler, who've penned hits for some of country music’s biggest stars, “Let Me Down Easy” was actually composed with Currington in mind to sing it. Jody Williams, BMI's vice president of writer/publisher relations, might have a good idea why.

“He’s a real friend to songwriters, because when you get a Billy Currington cut, you get this magic sound that he encapsulates," Williams said during Tuesday's presentation, calling Currington "one of the format’s most consistent hitmakers." "His track record for cutting the right songs is pretty spot on.”

“Let Me Down Easy” appears on Currington’s fourth studio album, Enjoy Yourself. He’s currently on the road with Kenny Chesney for the "Goin' Coastal" tour. Check out BillyCurrington.com for dates.

Sara Evans celebrated her latest No. 1 song, “A Little Bit Stronger,” alongside its co-writers Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey and Hillary Scott this week with a party at Nashville restaurant Cabana. The crowd of about 200 munched on pizza while the writers accepted commemorative mementos from their publishing companies and performing rights organizations.

Jody Williams, BMI’s vice president of writer/publisher relations in Nashville, said Evans’ career is “as strong as it’s ever been” and called Laird “hot as a firecracker.”

The song is Evans’ fifth No. 1, Laird’s sixth, Lindsey’s eighth and Scott’s first as a writer outside of her group Lady Antebellum.

“You all know her and the success she’s had,” SESAC’s Tim Fink said of Scott. “To have your first No. 1 as a writer outside of Lady Antebellum, it’s amazing to be standing up here with you.”

Scott’s bandmates Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood cheered her on in the audience.

“Just invite us to the writing session the next time,” Kelley called out.

Haywood, Kelley, Hillary Scott and Josh Kear penned multi-genre smash "Need You Now," which was named BMI's pop song of the year (Scott writes for SESAC and Kear for ASCAP, making them ineligible for the BMI prize).

Last year's top pop song award at BMI also went to a Nashville songwriter, when Taylor Swift won for "Love Story."

TobyMac, Rodney Griffin and Needtobreathe’s Bo Rinehart shared songwriter of the year honors at the 2011 BMI Christian Awards, held Monday night at the performing rights organization’s offices on Music Row.

BMI saluted the songwriters for having the past year’s most-performed songs on Christian radio and television. Scott Krippayne’s “What Faith Can Do” (recorded by Christian rockers Kutless) was named song of the year and Univeral Music Publishing Group earned the publisher of the year award.

TobyMac’s songwriter of the year achievement marks his second consecutive win in the category. Universal Music Publishing Group enjoyed their fourth consecutive publisher of the year win, with five songs in BMI’s “most-played” list.

BMI’s Jody Williams, Thomas Cain and Beth Laird served as hosts for the event, which celebrated more than 20 of the organization’s most-played Christian songs, including ones penned by locally based writers Ed Cash, BeBe Winans and Kate York and performed by major contemporary Christian acts such as Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin and the gospel-success likes of Marvin Sapp. BMI also organized a tribute to late Gospel Music Association founder Don Butler, who died in February.Continue reading →

Mr. Allen was 55 and was known in Nashville for his songwriting success — he was a BMI songwriter of the year in 2005 — and for his near-total disregard for political correctness or industry convention. He was outspoken and sometimes outlandish, yet he retained the respect and admiration of many of country and bluegrass music’s major figures.

“I always liked seeing his name on a song: It was always something I wished I’d written,” said Jackson, who recorded nine Allen songs, including Top 10 country radio hit “Everything I Love” and No. 1 smash “Between the Devil and Me.”

Ricky Skaggs, who performs Mr. Allen’s “A Simple Life” at each concert, is another friend and fan.

“He was one of the most talented guys in this town,” Skaggs said. “Such a great singer and player, and as a songwriter the guy was brilliant. I loved him.”Continue reading →

Reps from the writers' publishing companies and performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI poured praise on the two songscribes, who each earned their first No. 1 with "Somewhere."

McAnally offered a tearful round of thanks to family members and business associates who'd bolstered him along the way, recalling a tough time in his life and career when he thought to himself, "If I could get a song to Kenny Chesney, everything would change."

"It took a lot longer than I wanted it to," he said, eyeing Chesney and laughing.

BMI vice president of writer and publisher relations Jody Williams shared a few highlights from Harding's rock 'n' roll background -- which includes songs cut by Uncle Kracker and the Jonas Brothers and a stint as the personal assistant to the superstar Williams cheekily called "country great Marilyn Manson." That background fed into a country hit that Williams categorized as the "freshest, coolest and most different-sounding song on country radio" -- a sentiment country megastar Chesney seemed to agree with.

"I realized that it was such a unique song and a lyric that everybody has lived with," Chesney said of the first time he heard "Somewhere," which traces a deep, lovelorn longing. "...I'm awfully glad that I'm the guy who gets to sing this song for the rest of his life, I'll tell you that."

"Somewhere With You," from Chesney’s 2010 Hemingway's Whiskey album, stuck at the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart for three weeks.

“For us, we immediately fell in love with ("Why Wait"),” Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus said at the party, held at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. “It was a no-brainer. It’s a shuffle and we had never done one before. And it harkened back to the early Rascal Flatts. I think fans felt what we were feeling when we cut it.”

The band didn’t bask in their chart-topping success for too long. Their follow-up single -- sweeping ballad “I Won’t Let Go,” also from their Nothing Like This album -- has been at country radio for about eight weeks and is already at No. 16 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The bandmembers said the song was “one of the biggest” they'd found in several years.

“(Singer) Gary (LeVox) called it an 'adult lullaby,'” said guitarist Joe Don Rooney. “We all have a loved one that’s struggling and we want to help them through it. That’s what ('I Won’t Let Go') is about.”

“Why Wait’ to put the strongest material out,” DeMarcus joked. “We always knew (‘I Won’t Let Go’) was going to be a single. It was just (a question of) when.”

Fans can catch Rascal Flatts on Saturday, March 12 when their Rascal Flatts: Nothing Like This presented by JCPenney special airs on ABC. Justin Bieber and Natasha Bedingfield appear on the show as the trio’s special guests. Showtime is 7 p.m.

Warhol is the first of three Road to Bonnaroo champs; the others will be decided at the remaining concerts, which take place on March 21 and April 18 at Mercy Lounge. Round two participants are Big Surr, Born Empty, Captain Midnight Band, Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Keegan DeWitt, Leroy Powell, the Pink Spiders and Sarah Silva.